Improvement in car-starters



WQKEELER.

Improvement in Car-S tarte'rs.

" Patented 'Sep. 24 1872.

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UNITED STA'rns PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KEELER, or TOWANDA, PEFNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-STARTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 131,659, datedSeptember 24, 1872.

position of the small anti-friction wheel 2 2 2 2 resting on and torevolve simultaneously with the ends of the axles b b of thecar-wheels cc;

and Fig. 2 is a top view of a car-frame with the car-starter attached toit.

Like letters and figures indicate the like parts.

Instead of a hub, as is usual for the car axles b b to revolve in, Isubstitute two or more small anti-friction wheels, 2 2, Fig. 1, lappingupon each other, without touching, so as to form a notch underneath themfor the ends of the wheel-axles,-with or without cogs, to revolve in orthe small wheels 2 2may revolve on a linewith; each other by cutting atongue on the periphery of one of them, of the 1 proper length, and acorresponding groove on that of the other for the tongue to run in.

The car-starter consists in a crank, l, with a sliding shaft,-f,supported by upright standards h h, with a small cog-wheel, 6, attachedto said shaft f, which smallcog-wheel e meshes into a larger cog-wheel,d, which revoles around, but not with the shaft i, to which shaft 13another cog-wheel, g, is attached and revolves with the shaft '5 andmeshes into another cog-wheel,j, which is attached to the axles b of thecar-wheels c c c c, Fig. 1. One end of a spiral or other spring, k, isattached to the inner side of the cog-wheel d and the other end of it tothe shaft 6, and by turning the crank I it winds up and stiffens thespiral spring k, which is held to its place, as it tightens up, byaratchet-brace which braces against the cogs of the cog-wheel d, and ishung on a hinge on the platform so that it can be detached from itsbracing position when necessary. The centrifugal force exerted in theunwinding of the spiral spring starts the car forward as soon as thebrakes are 011', and by shifting the crank-shaft so as to connect itscog-wheel with another one on the same shaft with the independent onethe car can be propelled backward or forward.

The starter may be applied on any part of either platform, and when itis too far from the car-axle to be conveniently reached by a series ofconnecting cogwheels Keelers endless chain or a belt may be used informing the connection.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim is y Thecombination of the crank-pinion 0 with the gears 01, g, and j, andspring 70 for enabling the driver or attendant on the car to start, orto aid the team in starting, said car, as described and represented.

WILLIAM KEELER.

Witnesses:

H. W. NoBLns, J OHN GRIFFIN.

